Written Answers Wednesday 21 December 2005

Scottish Executive

Central Heating Programme

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) installations of boilers, (b) installations of full central heating systems and (c) other items of central heating work have been carried out by Eaga Partnership Ltd in each year since the inception of the central heating programme, broken down by (i) parliamentary region and (ii) local authority area.

Johann Lamont: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  The information requested is not held by parliamentary region or local authority area, but by main postcode. Therefore, it is not possible to supply the information in the format requested.

  The information requested, by main postcode area, is set out in the following tables.

  Central Heating Installations by Main Postcode Area 2001-02 to 2005-06

  

 Main Postcode Area
 2001-02
 2002-03
 2003-04
 2004-05
 2005-06


 AB-Aberdeenshire
 161
 415
 754
 911
 545


 DD - Tayside
 489
 434
 591
 702
 383


 DG - Dumfries and Galloway
 70
 160
 416
 598
 375


 EH - Lothian
 652
 801
 1601
 1708
 1022


 FK - Stirlingshire
 62
 120
 245
 488
 340


 G - Glasgow
 1,189
 1,913
 3,042
 3,411
 2,778


 HS – Western Isles
 55
 117
 231
 348
 217


 IV- Highland
 34
 161
 372
 589
 364


 KA - Ayrshire
 230
 240
 459
 805
 768


 KW - Orkney
 27
 93
 212
 333
 219


 KY - Fife
 139
 193
 323
 539
 449


 ML - Lanarkshire
 83
 167
 392
 712
 668


 PA – Renfrewshire and Argyll
 292
 473
 933
 954
 827


 PH - Perthshire
 52
 127
 313
 374
 238


 TD - Borders
 19
 69
 245
 427
 186


 ZE - Shetland
 5
 16
 70
 108
 71


 Total
 3,559
 5,499
 10,199
 13,007
 9,450



  Boiler Only Installations by Main Postcode Area 2003-04 to 2005-06

  

 Main Postcode Area
 2003-04
 2004-05
 2005-06


 AB - Aberdeenshire
 
 2
 1


 DD - Tayside
 
 1
 4


 DG – Dumfries and Galloway
 
 1
 1


 EH - Lothian
 
 
 1


 FK - Stirlingshire
 
 1
 


 G - Glasgow
 
 3
 8


 HS – Western Isles
 
 
 


 IV - Highland
 
 1
 


 KA - Ayrshire
 
 3
 8


 KW - Orkney
 1
 
 


 KY - Fife
 
 
 


 ML - Lanarkshire
 
 
 3


 PA - Renfrewshire and Argyll
 
 7
 6


 PH - Perthshire
 
 1
 


 TD - Borders
 
 
 


 ZE - Shetland
 
 
 


 Total
 1
 20
 32

Central Heating Programme

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21027 by Johann Lamont on 6 December 2005, how many applicants, broken down by local authority area, have had to wait for five months or more to have their central heating replaced under the central heating programme in each of the last three years.

Johann Lamont: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  The information requested is not held by local authority area, but by main postcode area. The details are shown in the following table:

  

 Area
 2003-04
 2004-05
 2005-06


 AB – Aberdeenshire
 659
 625
 350


 DD – Tayside
 425
 267
 212


 DG - Dumfries and Galloway
 379
 377
 285


 EH – Lothian
 1,095
 671
 379


 FK – Stirlingshire
 173
 239
 147


 G – Glasgow
 1,986
 1,417
 1,263


 HS – Western Isles
 216
 291
 191


 IV – Highland
 344
 488
 271


 KA - Ayrshire
 319
 413
 401


 KW – Orkney and Caithness
 203
 258
 160


 KY – Fife
 233
 283
 266


 ML – Lanarkshire
 203
 285
 276


 PA – Renfrewshire and Argyll
 707
 559
 489


 PH – Perthshire
 257
 211
 152


 TD – Borders
 219
 241
 140


 ZE – Shetland
 65
 105
 61

Children and Young People

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many names have been placed on the list of individuals considered unsuitable to work with children in each year since the list was established.

Robert Brown: The Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003 commenced on 10 January 2005. As at 16 December 2005, 56 individuals have been placed on the Disqualified from Working with Children List. A further 28 individuals have been provisionally listed while their referrals are processed for consideration by the determination panel. In addition, commencement of the act made it an offence for someone who is barred on lists in other parts of the UK to seek to work or continue to work with children in Scotland. There are currently around 4,000 entries on the England and Wales lists held by the Department of Education and Skills and in place since 2000 and 2001.

Drug Misuse

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have been sent outwith Scotland for residential drug treatment in each of the last five years (a) in total and (b) broken down by NHS board.

Hugh Henry: The following table shows the number of clients sent to residential drug and alcohol treatment facilities outwith Scotland from 2001 to 2005, broken down by NHS board, as reported by alcohol and drug action teams in their annual corporate action plans. We cannot disaggregate the figures into drug-only treatment services as the majority of residential facilities are for both drug and alcohol misuse.

  

 NHS Board
 2001-02
 2002-03
 2003-04
 2004-05


 Argyll and Clyde
 -
 1
 -
 -


 Ayrshire and Arran
 -
 -
 -
 -


 Borders
 -
 1
 10
 1


 Dumfries and Galloway
 -
 -
 -
 -


 Fife
 -
 -
 -
 -


 Forth Valley
 -
 -
 -
 -


 Grampian
 7
 48
 22
 16


 Greater Glasgow
 -
 -
 -
 -


 Highland
 -
 1
 -
 -


 Lanarkshire
 -
 -
 2
 -


 Lothian
 -
 7
 37
 12


 Orkney
 -
 -
 -
 -


 Shetland
 -
 3
 
 2


 Tayside
 -
 30
 19
 7


 Western Isles
 -
 -
 -
 -


 Totals
 7
 91
 90
 38

Employment

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the findings of Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion in Scotland 2005 by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, it is satisfied with the numbers of working age people, including disabled or lone parents and not officially registered as unemployed, who are unable to secure work in Scotland.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive works with the UK Government to help more economically inactive people to take up job opportunities. Under Closing the Opportunity Gap we are setting a target to reduce the number of workless people, including the economically inactive, in seven key local authority areas. We will publish early next year an Employability Framework for Scotland to support people who want to work into sustained employment.

Enterprise

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Scottish Enterprise in respect of supporting enterprise growth in Ayrshire.

Nicol Stephen: Meetings have been held and regular dialogue maintained to discuss the Ayrshire economy generally and on taking forward specific regeneration projects.

Enterprise

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the economic growth of Ayrshire will be enhanced by reducing the number of local enterprise companies in lowland Scotland.

Nicol Stephen: Scottish Enterprise is currently considering how it is structured. When proposals are brought to the Scottish Executive I would expect Scottish Enterprise to have fully considered the advantages and disadvantages of its proposals, the level of business support for what is proposed and the positive impact on economic growth in different parts of Scotland.

Enterprise

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what direction it has given to Scottish Enterprise in respect of tackling the long-term economic decline of former coalfield areas.

Nicol Stephen: Strategic direction is provided to Scottish Enterprise in the Executive document A Smart, Successful Scotland. This includes Scottish Enterprise’s role in promoting regeneration as a means of tackling industrial decline, dereliction and limited economic activity. Delivery will include activities in former coalfield areas across Scotland.

Enterprise

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what role Scottish Enterprise has in supporting local authorities in Ayrshire in delivering capital investment in public services.

Nicol Stephen: Scottish Enterprise’s primary focus must be on supporting economic growth. It would not normally be expected that Scottish Enterprise would support local authorities in their delivery of public services but they may choose to do so where there is a primary economic rationale for the investment. It is for Scottish Enterprise to determine whether such a contribution would help further the priorities set out in the Executive’s strategic document A Smart, Successful Scotland.

Environment

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether waste is, or has been in any of the last three years, exported for recycling purposes and, if so, whether it will provide a breakdown of (a) volumes and (b) locations.

Ross Finnie: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Executive. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency holds some information on exports of materials from Scottish ports when the legislation requires such exports to be notified.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to implement the resolution of the Parliament on 1 December 2005 on motion S2M-3657 as amended, in respect of onboard observers.

Ross Finnie: No further action is required.

  Fisheries Research Services has carried out an onboard observer sampling of demersal boats for 30 years. The sampling is scientific in nature and access to vessels is through a voluntary arrangement with the skipper. We have no plans to expand the remit of this scheme to cover other issues.

Football

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with the Scottish Football Association and the Scottish Premier League regarding the forthcoming European meeting on football between the sports ministers of England, France, Germany, Spain and Italy and, if so, what issues were discussed.

Patricia Ferguson: No.

Football

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was informed by the Minister of State for Sport about his review of football governance and whether the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport will be participating in the review, given that Scottish football has its own independent status in world football.

Patricia Ferguson: The Minister for Sport at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport convened a meeting, under the auspices of the UK Presidency, to discuss corporate and social governance in football with a view to agreeing terms of reference for a review of corporate and social governance in football. I understand that agreement was reached at the meeting that UEFA will conduct a review and that it will consult its members (which include the SFA) and others in that process.

Further Education

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much (a) capital and (b) revenue funding the Scottish Further Education Funding Council allocated to Clydebank College in each year since 1996.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Further Education Funding Council, a predecessor of the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council, took over the responsibility of allocating funds to further education colleges from the Scottish Office Education and Industry Department on 1 July 1999. The information requested is as follows:

  

 Year
 Capital (£)
 Revenue* (£)


 1996-97
 64,625
 6,510,300


 1997-98
 -
 6,137,900


 1998-99
 -
 6,257,000


 1999-2000
 153,850
 6,785,700


 2000-01
 608,041
 7,453,480


 2001-02
 885,273
 11,089,224


 2002-03
 2,059,243
 8,761,778


 2003-04
 225,775
 8,521,056


 2004-05
 1,766,887
 8,754,073



  Note: *Recurrent grant-in-aid.

Health Promotion

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with NHS boards in respect of their contribution to health promotion by funding (a) sport and health activities for young people and (b) volunteering and community activities for older people.

Mr Andy Kerr: Health boards, taking account of their own local circumstances, are best placed to determine appropriate actions to encourage all sections of their populations, regardless of age; to recognise the health benefits that can accrue through following a healthy lifestyle.

  These programmes are delivered by health boards and subject to national guidelines and frameworks with community partners via NHS board plans and community plans including joint health improvement plans.

  Annual reviews are held with each health board where their performance is scrutinised in public. Boards are expected to report progress against health improvement strategies, targets and measures.

Justice

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to expand and fund the development of a nationwide in-court advice service, similar to the one run by the Citizen’s Advice Bureau in Hamilton.

Hugh Henry: I am awaiting the final report of the evaluation of the five pilot in-court advice projects that were set up between 18 and 24 months ago. Whilst indications are that the outcome of the research is positive and demand is high, the projects are still at an early stage and I am not yet in a position to announce a further roll-out.

  It is my intention to make an announcement in the next few weeks about the funding position for the pilot projects.

Maternity Services

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what recruitment strategies are in place to secure sufficient consultants to sustain and improve maternity services.

Lewis Macdonald: As part of our recruitment and retention measures for consultants we have developed an action plan designed to improve health boards’ capacity to increase the number of consultants employed across all specialties. The plan includes key initiatives such as making better use of the increased numbers of specialist registrars available in Scotland. Additional funding of £2.5 million is also being allocated to boards to assist with their recruitment plans.

  It is the responsibility of NHS boards to recruit staff in line with their service needs and this will be influenced by changes resulting from service and workforce redesign and the modernisation of NHS Scotland. In implementing the National Workforce Planning Framework, NHS boards will produce workforce plans in April 2006 which will estimate future demand across specialties, including obstetrics and gynaecology.

Met Office

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the implications to it are in respect of the services it receives from the Met Office of the recent power outages at the Exeter Office.

Rhona Brankin: The Executive is not aware of any implications to it from this event.

NHS Staff

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional whole-time equivalent (WTE) consultant obstetricians and gynaecologists there will be in each of the next 10 years.

Lewis Macdonald: Over the last 10 years there has been an increase of 22.5 WTE consultants in obstetrics and gynaecology. Furthermore an extra 16 WTE specialist registrars in obstetrics and gynaecology were in place by August 2005 as part of a ministerial commitment for an extra 375 specialist registrars in the NHS, which will in turn provide an increase in the supply of consultants upon completion of their training.

  It is the responsibility of NHS boards to recruit staff in line with their service needs and this will be influenced by changes resulting from service and workforce redesign and the modernisation of NHS Scotland. In implementing the National Workforce Planning Framework, NHS boards will produce workforce plans in April 2006 which will estimate future demand across specialties, including obstetrics and gynaecology.

Nuclear Power

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent it would have a role in any decision to extend the life of existing nuclear power stations and whether any further consents would be required should any such decision involve refurbishment or new construction.

Allan Wilson: Any decision to allow an extension to the life of an existing power station would be for the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, the independent body which sets the duration and conditions of the relevant operating licences.

  The consent of Scottish ministers, under Section 36(1) of the Electricity Act 1989, would be required for new construction or to increase the output capacity of an existing generating plant to exceed 50 Mega Watts. Investment in the refurbishment of an existing nuclear plant in order to comply with the terms of an operating licence extension would not require Scottish ministers’ approval.

People with Disabilities

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to end discrimination against disabled people in Scotland who experience income poverty.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Disability Discrimination Act 1995, which is reserved to Westminster, protects disabled people from discrimination in employment, access to goods, facilities and services, the buying, renting or selling of land or property and education.

  The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) was established by the Westminster Government to work to eliminate discrimination against disabled people, to promote equal opportunities for disabled people, to encourage good practice in the treatment of disabled people and to advise the Government on the working of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. The DRC in Scotland is working with employers and service providers to raise awareness of the Disability Discrimination Act and promote disabled people’s rights.

  Under the Disability Discrimination (Public Authorities) (Statutory Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2005, which came into force on 5 December 2005, the Scottish Executive and key public sector organisations are required to be proactive in eliminating unlawful discrimination against disabled people. Under the regulations, listed authorities must state how they will assess the impact of their policies and practices, or the likely impact of proposed policies and practices, on equality for disabled people. They must take steps to gather information on the effect of their policies and practices on disabled people including on the recruitment, development and retention of disabled employees. Listed educational bodies must gather information on the educational opportunities available to, and on the achievements of, disabled pupils and students. Authorities are then required to say how they will use the information they have gathered in order to further promote equality of opportunity for disabled people.

  As a result of these regulations we expect to see year on year improvement in the position of disabled people in Scottish society, including improvements in educational attainment and participation in the labour market.

  The answers to the member’s questions S2W-21496 and S2W-21497 on 21 December 2005, provide further details of how the Scottish Executive aims to tackle income poverty. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

People with Disabilities

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to eradicate income poverty amongst working age disabled adults.

Malcolm Chisholm: We are committed to tackling poverty and disadvantage among all groups and communities within Scotland.

  Through our Closing the Opportunity Gap approach we aim to: prevent individuals and families from falling into poverty; provide routes out of poverty for individuals and families, and to sustain individuals and families in a lifestyle free from poverty.

  Central to our approach is a belief that work is the best route out of poverty for those who are able. The answer to the member’s question S2W-21496 on 20 December 2005, provides further details of how we aim to increase the numbers of disadvantaged people in sustained work, including disabled people, through our forthcoming employability framework.

  We are also working closely with the UK Government to ensure that we continue to tackle poverty amongst those who are unable to work.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Wildlife

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20176 by Rhona Brankin on 14 November 2005, to what species the 118 licenses issued under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 relate and in how many instances each species was trapped for relocation or killed.

Rhona Brankin: The 118 licences referred to in the response to S2W-20176 relate to the following species:

  

 Species
 Number of Licences Issued
 Number of Licences Permitting Relocation
 Number of Licences Permitting Killing


 Bats
 66
 
 1


 Otter
 30
 
 


 Natterjack toad
 2
 2
 


 Great crested newt
 5
 5
 


 Pine marten
 9
 7
 2


 Mountain hare
 6
 
 6



  Bats, otter, natterjack toad and great crested newt are listed on Annex IV of the Habitats Directive. Pine marten and mountain hare are listed on Annex V of the directive.

  In the case of natterjack toad and great crested newt licences, the animals were translocated a short distance to allow works to take place or were removed temporarily. In the case of relocation of pine martens, the animals were removed from occupied dwelling places and released into the immediate vicinity.

  Although two licences were issued to permit pine martens to be killed, no pine martens were subsequently trapped. The licence permitting bats to be killed was issued recently and no action has yet been taken.